But We Have Nothing in Common
by lemoncube
Summary: Action-packed school adventures.
1. This Will be the Start of Fun!

**I do not own Sengoku Basara - Capcom does (they do, right?)**

**Girls n' boys, don't get all berserk on me. I was planning to do something more generic than this, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. So I set the story on modern mode (since it was much easier and convenient that way), and I came up with this. Enjoy reading, if you would :D**

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Her traveling eyes stopped when she saw what she saw at her 10 o'clock – was she seeing clearly? Yukimura and Masamune within a five feet radius? Now that was rare. It was surprising that there wasn't a fight happening over there, when Yukimura and Masamune were visible within each other's "rival" radar.

Sanada Yukimura, first year, strong-spirited and ever lively judo club team vice captain was with his captain, Takeda Shingen. He was talking real loud that Kasuga could hear everything he was saying. A table apart from them sat Date Masamune, another first year - the skilled, yet arrogant kendo club team captain. He was with his vice captain Katakura Kojuro, and two wooden swords, probably theirs, were placed on the table before them. They looked like the damn yakuza because of that. The two guys looked ridiculously cool, and any girl would have surely melted because of all their manly charm, but Kasuga wasn't one of those girls. She was rather unaffected by all those pheromones. Well, not entirely, because the moment she saw Uesugi Kenshin approaching a table nearby, she started blushing furiously.

Kasuga was overwhelmed by Kenshin, by his beauty, by the almost noble way he presented himself. Not to mention his academic, and sword-handling skills. _How could a guy be so perfect? _The question ran through her mind again.

"Kasuga-chan." Sasuke called from across the table, waking Kasuga from her trance-like state. He had been observing her for a while now, and knew that she was looking, like any other girl would, at the popular guys near them.

"What is it?" she asked, the flush on her beautiful face seemingly becoming redder than it already was.

"You know Kenshin-kun could melt with the way you're staring at him." Sasuke said flatly, handed a piece of paper to Kasuga, then returned to where he sat a while ago. "You brat!" she exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. She hated how he got on her nerves most of the time, even if all he ever did was speak. She looked at the many pair of eyes on her, and she wished she could disappear now, especially since Kenshin had probably witnessed that fit of temper she had just now. She looked at Kenshin's direction, and saw his tantalizing blue eyes on her. _Too embarrassing_, _this is too embarrassing._

Luckily, the librarian wasn't around and didn't hear Kasuga's loud cry just now. She was relieved, and felt less embarrassed now. Looking around again, she noticed that the students seemed to have lost interest on her sudden outburst. She looked at the paper Sasuke had handed a while ago, seeing the numbers and symbols written there but not really processing them on her mind.

When she had a better look at the paper, she noticed that all of his answers were correct. _Sasuke-kun's getting better every single time I tutor him, _Kasuga thought, quite annoyed. You read it right, she was tutoring, although his attitude seemed more of a problem than his studies, Sarutobi Sasuke, a judo club member whose name she saw often in the school paper. He was one of the speedier guys in the club, and it was no wonder he had bagged many gold medals from various competitions.

When she turned the paper to look at his answers to the other problems, she saw a rough sketch of herself, all dreamy-looking, complete with half-lidded eyes and a series of slanted lines on both her cheeks to signify a blush. _That guy! _she screamed internally, looking at his direction – he sat on a chair and watched one of Yukimura and Shingen's antics without interest. He was not looking her way, but it almost felt as if he knew, _creepy_.

She was really furious – first, the thing about the way she looked at Kenshin, now, a sketch of a madly in-love girl that was her. Maybe next time he'll reveal her secret, of how obsessed she was with Kenshin, to everyone? Curse that Sasuke.

Kasuga looked at her watch, it was already 5 o'clock! She had to hurry, she couldn't skip class just because she had the chance of seeing Kenshin a little more closely. And Sasuke's beating could wait a little longer. Hurriedly, she stood from her seat and hauled her bag from the table, exiting the library in a brisk walk because she was almost late for the next class.

She stood outside the classroom, seeing that the professor had already entered the classroom. She was doomed – Ms. Nou didn't allow late comers entering the classroom. So she stood there, like a helpless little girl would, thinking how she could enter the room. Then she saw Nobunaga walking towards her direction, and watched him as he approached. "Nou-Sensei's already inside." Kasuga said matter-of-factly, almost on impulse. Surely he knew that Ms. Nou didn't entertain late comers, so why was he all calm about it? From where she stood, Nou could see Kasuga and Nobunaga through the small glass window in the door. _Late kids_. She excused herself from the class and walked out of the room. Outside, she questioned the two as to why they were late.

"I was on tutoring duty at the library. It seemed that we had a little overtime. Sorry ma'am, it wouldn't happen again." Kasuga said confidently to her professor. Ms. Nou's eyes were serious and her gaze was hard that it was quite difficult to keep eye contact with her as she spoke. "And you?" Nou asked as she turned to look at Nobunaga. "We just finished the student council meeting, Nou-Sensei." Nodding, Nou let Kasuga and Nobunaga enter, which was a first. The students inside were all noisy, surprised to see them enter. Kasuga was saved, and it was all thanks to Nobunaga, she thought, because she saw a while ago how Ms. Nou's eyes seemed to soften upon hearing his voice. It was only short-lived, but there was definitely a difference – her eyes seemed less-serious and more relaxed as she listened to him.

"Thanks." Kasuga mouthed to Nobunaga as they entered. He merely looked at her, not acknowledging the simple thank you even by nodding. She was slightly annoyed, how cold could the student council president get? She had great respect for him, no doubt about that, but it was for this attitude of his that Kasuga didn't like him very much.

The class started, not that she arrived on time, and ended just the same as it had always, but Kasuga felt unsettled all throughout the period, as if something bad was going to happen sooner or later.

She walked out of the classroom hurriedly, the noise of the students from her class too loud to tolerate, but she did anyway. Although tired from earlier morning's judo training at her grandpa's, Kasuga had no time to waste - her aunt would go berserk if she came home late by even five minutes.

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	2. That Bishie

**I do not own Sengoku Basara - Capcom does (they do, right?)**

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Riding the train was a real pain at this time of the day, 7 o'clock pm to be exact. You would consider yourself lucky if you were able to ride the train, much more if you were able to sit on one of those blue train seats that could be occupied by up to six persons. Kasuga's luck wasn't too good today – she had gotten inside the train, but all the seats were occupied by the time she had entered. Now that she thought about it, it seemed that she was able to get inside the train without much problem – must be the handiwork of the commuters at her back who pushed and squeezed through with all their might, hoping to get inside the train as soon as possible, only to push Kasuga further inside the train instead of themselves.

Inside, it was hot and stuffy, despite the constant release of cold air from the air conditioners. Kasuga hadn't noticed at first, but she had gotten in the middle part of the train car, directly in front of a seated person, except that she had her back to the person. She was about to turn so she could grab hold of a safety handle, but she was sent backward when the train suddenly stopped. Backward since left, right and front didn't qualify – there were too much people standing that there was no room left to move on.

Kasuga lost her balance and fell backwards, so that she was in the lap of whoever the seated person was. She was immediately up on her feet, bowing and apologizing to the person. For the second time today, she found herself in a situation where the people's eyes were on her. "All is good." was all that the man said. Kasuga lifted her head to look at the man, who had such a deep and somewhat soothing voice, and blushed furiously when she saw Kenshin. "I..I'm truly sorry mister!" was Kasuga's flustered reply. Kenshin just smiled at her, then asked "Would you like to sit down, lovely lady?". Kasuga shook her head, the blush on her face seemingly permanent. "I insist.", Kenshin stood, and Kasuga was overwhelmed as he took his place in front of her.

He was tall – she was at least as tall as his shoulders. And he smelled nice – some heady perfume he must be wearing. Her heart was beating so fast, so loud, that she could almost hear the steady beat despite the noise around her. She was tempted to just stay this way and memorize the way it feels to be this close to Kenshin, but she was afraid he might feel the angry pounding at her chest. "Are you sure it's okay, Kenshin-san?" Kasuga asked, not looking up at him, slapping her face mentally for addressing him by his name. "Go ahead." Kenshin said, not so surprised that she knew his name.

Hesitant, Kasuga took the vacant seat in front of her, ignoring the questioning stares she had earned from most of the female passengers. Were they envious of her because a gorgeous guy like Kenshin offered his seat to her? The idea made her want to laugh. But there was no other reason that came to Kasuga's mind but that.

She looked up at Kenshin, but when her eyes met his cool, blue orbs, she had to avoid them to keep from stuttering her thanks. "Thank you very much, Kenshin-san." she said, after which she looked at Kenshin, and watched as his lips curved into a smile that is enough to weaken any woman. "No problem. Besides, I wouldn't want a lovely lady such as you struggling to stand in the crowd like that." Embarrassed, she diverted her eyes away from him, then to the girls and women seated beside her. All eyes were on Kenshin. _If I had been one of them, surely I'll be staring at him like that._

"By the way, what is your name again?"

"Ah. It's Kasuga. You can call me Kasuga."

"Kasuga – it's a beautiful name, it suits you."

_How could he say such embarrassing things in a place like this? _Kasuga thought when her cellphone rang. "Excuse me, Kenshin-san. I've got a call." She fished out her cellphone from her skirt pocket and, to her disappointment, saw Sasuke's name on the screen. She answered the call, nonetheless.

"Kasuga-chan!" Sasuke greeted from the other line.

"Good afternoon. What do you need?" Kasuga asked coolly, although her face was contorted in a slight scowl. She never knew the reason, but every single time she hears Sasuke's voice, or see him for the most part, her patience just disappears. Before Sasuke could even speak, she added "And how did you know my number?"

"I'm sorry for calling on such short notice. Your number I got from the student advising center, and what I called for is your service."

"Service?" Kasuga asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"You see, Shingen-san told me to ask you if you're interested to join the judo club. He recently discovered that you won gold in the national tournament held last month."

Without hesitation, Kasuga stated "I'm sorry but I have no intention of joining in. I'm afraid that if I do, I won't be able to spare time for training, considering my tutoring duties and my training at grandpa's. Please tell Shingen-san I'm so sorry. I'm really honored to be offered something like this, but I hope he understands my circumstances."

"Ah. It's such a pity that you can't join, don't you think? And I was so looking forward to training with you, Kasuga-chan."

Kasuga sighed, although she really wanted to shout into the mouthpiece and make Sasuke's eardrums bleed. "Stop saying stupid things."

"Why so serious? Or could it be that you want to train with me too?"

"You..! I'd never want anything like that! And why is this call taking too long?" Kasuga struggled to keep her voice down to minimum, but it was coming out even louder than she imagined.

"Easy there, Kasuga-chan. I still have something to tell you. The-" Sasuke said, the rest of his statement drowned out by the loud blare of the train, headed opposite the direction of the one they were riding, as it passed by and left in a matter of seconds.

"Is everything all right, Kasuga?" Kenshin asked, no longer able to ignore the bright red flush on Kasuga's face, as well as the don't-mess-with-me tone she had put on since answering the call. If she thought she had done a thorough job of keeping her annoyance from her voice by keeping it low, she was definitely wrong.

Covering the mouthpiece of her cellphone, Kasuga smiled, her eyes bright and her lips curved in a timid smile. "Ah. Of course it is. Don't mind me, Kensh-"

"Was that Kenshin-kun? Wow. So, how are you two doing, Kasuga? Gotten closer yet?"

Kasuga gave out an exasperated sigh, trying her best not to blow up in anger. She was all game to beat Sasuke into pulp right now, but that would have to wait until tomorrow maybe. "It's none of your business. And don't call if you plan to say more than what's important. Goodbye." Without waiting for Sasuke's reply, she hung up, turned her cellphone off and shoved it back into her skirt pocket.

"I hope the caller didn't bring bad news." Kenshin said, pulling Kasuga back to the current scene. She had felt off the page while she was talking on the phone with Sasuke, as if the train and its passengers were not there, only her, Kenshin and Sasuke's persistent teasing.

"He didn't. In fact, I was informed that the judo club captain wanted me in the club. I turned the offer down, because I know I'll be forced to sacrifice training time for other school works if I didn't-" Kasuga stopped, realizing that she had said too much to a schoolmate who, besides knowing his name and his popularity in school, she knew absolutely nothing about. She bowed her head down, deeply embarrassed, and looked at her lap.

"Arriving at Central station." a female train announcer declared twice, her voice, which came from the speakers overhead, having the crystal-clear articulation and modulation of a DJ.

"Kasuga," Kenshin called out, his voice cool. "I have to get moving now. It was nice to know you, and thank you for the company. Be sure to take care on your way home." What came after that was a stone-melting smile, and a 'see you tomorrow' that sounded like the sweetest promise ever.

Kasuga was too mesmerized that she almost forgot that she had to get off that station too.

Fortunately, she managed to make her way out of the sea of people inside the train - with much difficulty though. Outside, she didn't spot Kenshin on the platform or near the turnstiles, so she hurriedly made her way out of the station, her heart still racing from all that happened just a while ago.

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	3. Isn't Eating Alone a Little Lonely?

**I do not own Sengoku Basara - Capcom does (they do, right?)**

**Happy New Year! I know it's a little...uh, i mean really late, but still, I did my own share of greeting. Thanks for the reviews - I know they're few, but that doesn't change the fact they're reviews and I'm really glad for receiving them. It feels great to know that some of you actually liked this fic :D **

**I hope you guys enjoy reading this one - it took me a little longer than usual. Really, I had a hard time finishing this up so please be kind to me xD**

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Kasuga stared blankly at the white board, giving her cheeks a little pat. Math was one of the many things she's good at, but not staying up until morning. Last night, she went to the hospital after she got home and found out her aunt was not around. Kasuga learned through a phone call that she had been rushed to the hospital earlier that evening due to severe heartburn, which was the most probable reason behind her feeling all unsettled since her last class. She'd arrived by nine in the evening, and since then, she'd sat in a monoblock chair, talked to her aunt, asked her things, watched her sleep and forced herself to stay awake. At about four in the morning she'd completely fallen asleep, and by six, her aunt had woken her up and given her the house keys. Kasuga had gone home, taken a bath, prepared herself and her lunch all in one hour.

Her eyelids felt heavy, threatening to close if she ever gave into their weight. She pinched her arms, but it was no use. Then, she felt someone tap her right shoulder lightly, dissipating some of her drowsiness for a moment. She looked to her right, noticing Sasuke, who sat five seats away from her, immediately - his eyes were closed and his right hand cupped his chin. He had a simple black headband on, which didn't make him look less like a guy – it even made him look a little cooler, if she allowed it.

Kasuga frowned slightly – why did she have to tutor Sasuke, the kind of guy who doesn't even try to listen to the lesson, let alone sleeps during class? She was irked – she couldn't bear that happy-go-lucky attitude of his.

Suddenly, her head started to ache – must be another effect of sleeping for barely two hours. She stood and approached the professor, asking for permission to go to the clinic. He stared at Kasuga with a questioning look, then jerked his head in the direction of the door, as if he wanted Kasuga out of the room immediately. She bolted out of the room and headed to the clinic.

Her head still hurt a little, but she was definitely feeling better now – she'd been given the medicine she needed and taken a quick nap inside the clinic. Kasuga checked on her watch – five more minutes before math class ended. She hurried to the third floor, not wanting to get anymore unwanted attention from her professor. As she trotted along the classroom hallway, she saw Sasuke leaning on the wall outside their classroom, his bag sprawled on the floor beside him.

Averting his eyes from him, she continued down the hall. She had no intention of having the smallest talk with him, but when she was a few steps away from him, she heard him say "The door's locked."

Kasuga stared at Sasuke like he was the one responsible for the door being locked. "No worries. He didn't mark you as absent." he said as if prompted for a reply. The hardness in Kasuga's eyes vanished, replaced by a relieved look.

"Did he tell you to get out?"

"Yeah, told me to sleep in the clinic if I wanted to."

Kasuga had to turn away to smile – while she wasn't the kind of person who made fun of other people while they were asleep, she couldn't help but smile when she remembered that look of total peace on his face. Sasuke was the type who'd have a poker face most of the time, but with Kasuga, he had his own playful expressions to show every now and then.

Sasuke noticed Kasuga's lips curving into a very small smile, and he felt like smiling too - well, more of smirking. "I guess you found my sleeping face adorable?"

The slight smile from Kasuga's lips disappeared. "Not at all!" Kasuga cried out. "And why do you sleep in class when you know you don't do so well in math and that I'm doing my best to tutor you?"

"I'm sorry. Calm down, Kasuga-chan. It was the first time I slept in class, you know that."

"Are you implying that I _always _look at you whenever we have math class?"

"I wasn't hinting on something like that. Well, do you?"

Kasuga's face was bright red – whether from annoyance or from embarrassment only she knew. She merely sighed, eyeing Sasuke like she was going to murder him - anymore arguing with him and she'll surely explode.

The bell rang, and students from every classroom started flooding the hallway until there was little space to move on. Kasuga had gotten inside the classroom to get her things, giving Sasuke one last I'm-pissed-off look before she turned away. He wanted to tease her a little more, but he had training so he left shortly after she disappeared into the room.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke!" Yukimura greeted, giving Sasuke a little pat on his right arm. He was dressed in his full judo gi, his trademark red hachimaki replaced by a sweatband of the same color. "Are you ready for today's training?" Yukimura asked in a voice filled with enthusiasm. Sasuke nodded in agreement, a small smirk on his lips showing that he was more than ready.

"Well then, get into your battle outfit and let's train until our bodies give out!"

"Yukimura!" boomed another loud voice behind Sasuke.

"Takeda-sama!" Yukimura exclaimed, his face lightening up even more. He ran towards Shingen, stood in front of him and stared at him with zealous eyes.

"Are you going to start the training now?"

"Of course not, Takeda-sama - not without you to lead us. In fact, Sasuke and I were waiting for you to join us in our training so that we may be able to learn more from what you have to teach us."

"Is that so? But Yukimura, I have an important report to prepare for. Today, I'll be entrusting the training to you. Do your best."

"But Takeda-sama, I can't possibly do–" In an instant, Yukimura was sent flying like a projectile…well, not really. Shingen had given him a not-so-solid blow to his mid-section, causing him to back away a few steps.

"You're an excellent judoka Yukimura, so be more confident in yourself. I recognize and admire your capabilities – both inside and outside the mats."

"Takeda-sama!"

"Yukimura!"

"Takeda-sama!"

"Yukimura"

Sasuke sighed. He stood unnoticed on the side, as if Shingen and Yukimura had created their own world and decided to do their two-line act there - no stage, music, no props, just their loud voices in the background. It was too early for their crazy tricks, not that he cared much though. During times like this, he'd have given himself the good old face-palm sooner or later.

Kasuga went up the flight of stairs leading to the rooftop. She'd never been up there before and, thinking that it was one of the few peaceful spots in the campus, decided to hang out there.

The rooftop was indeed very quiet – the exact opposite of the canteen on the grounds. Kasuga had only been there a few seconds, not to mention that she had barely moved from the doorway, but she already like it. Besides from being a quiet section of the school, the view is also nice - above, white fluffs of clouds scattered throughout the blue canvass of sky and around, well, there were lots of buildings, houses and other structures to look at.

Kasuga walked forward and rounded a corner, searching for seats. In front of her there was open space; to her right, there was a small office with two divisions and something like a ground-level verandah in front, only the fences are replaced by polished concrete seats; still farther ahead to her right was a bigger wooden structure, and Kasuga knew at first glance that it was a dojo – the shoji windows screamed it all. _Perfect,_ Kasuga thought and went to the verandah, settling down on one concrete seat – she'd check out the dojo later.

Kasuga dug out her lunchbox from inside her backpack and opened it without any enthusiasm. The contents didn't look as good as her aunt's cooking - she had no choice but to prepare her own lunch earlier, since her aunt was still at the hospital. Why she didn't use more of her time – in the past – to cook bothered her now.

After uttering a short prayer, she started eating her lunch. It was evident from the way she lifted the rice-and-viand-filled spoon to her mouth and chewed on it gently how well she had been taught table manners. A few more minutes eating in silence and she was done, leaving her lunchbox clean except for the streaks of grease that clung to the plastic container. The meal wasn't as bad as she though it would be – although a little flavor and a better presentation would really help. She finished her meal with yet another short prayer, and stashed the lunchbox inside her backpack, exchanging it for a bottle of water.

She stood up, drinking the water little by little until there was none. Bottle in hand, she continued her exploration of the rooftop, noticing the small shaded area located between the dojo and the office. There were two tables and a lot of chairs, and Kasuga decided it must be where the members of the club hanged out. Through the dojo's windows, she could see guys and girls seated, in seiza, along a straight line. The person seated in front of them had a boyish charm, and he seemed familiar – she couldn't see his face that well because she stood a little far from the windows. But the scene was all too familiar to her that from it, she knew that the guy seated in front of all the other people was Yukimura, and that she was standing outside the judo dojo. And that Sasuke was most probably the guy on the farthest left – that long hair was unmistakably his.

Kasuga ran back to the verandah and took a seat beside her things, noticing her heart had beaten faster. She was sliding her arms through the straps of her backpack when she heard a whistle from somewhere really close.

Kasuga looked behind her, and she'd bet her face looked a little more than surprised when she saw Sasuke standing there, topless. Kasuga quickly turned her face back, hating the world for letting her see him like that. Now she'd proven herself wrong for thinking that she was more used to seeing half-naked guys than fully-clothed guys.

"Kasuga-chan! What're you doing here?" Sasuke said as he sat beside her. He sat a one-person space away from Kasuga then shifted in his seat so that he was facing her.

"I was eating lunch." Kasuga ran her fingers through the long locks of her hair to keep herself busy. From her peripheral view, she could practically feel Sasuke's eyes on her –seemingly studying the way she combed her hair with her fingers.

"Alone?" Sasuke asked, fairly surprised – sure enough, he didn't think someone like Kasuga would be hanging out here in the rooftop all by herself. "Why, isn't that lonely?"

"Shut up! I'm used to it, so there's nothing to be sad about." Kasuga said, turning her face sideways to meet Sasuke's eyes. He was smirking, and she wondered if he really enjoyed annoying her _that_ much. Breaking the eye contact, she said "I'm in a bit of a hurry, I better leave now." She stood, locking eyes with him once again, and declared "See you later at the library." She started walking, but stopped shortly to remind him not to be late.

"Kasuga-chan," – Sasuke started before Kasuga could even start walking again, his voice urgent – "next time you come here, call me, alright? We'll eat _your lunch_ together." He gave her a hesitant smile after, and Kasuga read it as an apology of some sort.

Resisting the urge to shout back at him when he was being considerate, she uttered a simple 'sure'. Kasuga could imagine what'll happen if she turned down his suggestion – Sasuke will probably count off the reasons why she refused, and tease her to no end because of that. She didn't want that, and besides, she could use some company during lunch, even if it's someone as irritating as him.

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	4. That Bento Is Mine!

**I do not own Sengoku Basara – Capcom does (they do, right?)**

**Here's another chapter before exams come up. I'll probably update again after one and a half month. Until then, see ya!**

**Enjoy reading, kids! xD**

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As of late, it'd always been the raining-all-day kind of weather and the temperature had dropped a few degrees below the usual. It's never a good idea to leave home without bringing anything to shield yourself from the rain. But there were stubborn people, one of them being Sasuke, who don't seem to be aware of that – as if they haven't seen enough rain in a week to make them even consider bringing umbrellas or at least jackets with hoodies.

Sasuke had already walked about half the distance from _That Bento Is Mine!_ – a local Japanese café he frequents – to campus when a heavy downpour started, giving him no choice but to run the rest of the way. Just a few blocks away from the campus gate, he almost bumped head-on with a girl he didn't recognize at first – thanks to her fast reflexes, they'd avoided the situation and bumped in the shoulders instead; still, the impact was hard enough to earn her complain. Before he could even look back through his shoulders and start apologizing, he was greeted by a loud, irritated voice.

"What is your problem, Sarutobi Sasuke?"

"Kasuga-chan," he said, his voice flat, but he sounded surprised at the same time. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He could full well see her right hand massaging her left shoulder gently, but he interpreted it as an automatic reaction to the collision and not a sign that she was hurt. Without really thinking, and wanting to shield himself from the drizzle-turned downpour, he moved closer to her, ducking his head as he went inside the little safe zone created by Kasuga's umbrella.

_This umbrella is too small for two people_, he decided as he moved still closer to Kasuga. Her eyes widened ever-so-slightly at the sudden change in their proximity, but instead of doing something predictable, she averted her eyes away from him in the most bashful way he had ever seen. From where he stood now, a few inches away from Kasuga, a faint trace of what seemed to be mint shampoo and cotton-candy-scent perfume greeted his nostrils. The scent suited her perfectly – sweet, clean and feminine. He especially liked how her shampoo smelled just like the one he uses.

After what seemed to be eternity, which was in fact only a few seconds, Kasuga finally broke their silence. "I'm fine, it's nothing serious." She removed the hand on her shoulder to prove her claim. "But try to be more careful next time, will you?"

"Sure, ma'am." he said in the most polite tone he could – he even flashed a more-or-less-sincere smile to look more convincing.

"Whatever." She turned around and started walking again, and Sasuke followed on her side. Their arms were touching and although he was sure Kasuga felt the cold, wet feel of the rain as it seeped through the sleeve of her sweater, she didn't complain about it. More surprising is that she didn't even complain about their nearness at all.

"So, where are we going?" Sasuke turned his face to the side, admiring Kasuga's beautiful face. Even without knowing much about her, he was sure that her beauty had already captured the hearts of many guys, her grace admired by many girls – so why hadn't he seen her before with even one of her friends? It puzzled him to no end.

"We?." she asked back, her head turned to him, one of her brows slightly raised. "I'm going there all by myself."

"Let me at least dry myself first before you completely reject me." Sasuke said matter-of-factly, and he noticed Kasuga giving him a once-over, as if she wasn't aware yet that he'd been drenched.

She sighed a little, and he knew that she was trying her best not to shout. "You don't even have your bag with you?" She stopped walking, looked at her left hand that was clutching the umbrella and jerked it towards him. "Do you mind holding my umbrella?"

Coming to a stop beside Kasuga, Sasuke took the umbrella from her, and for a split second, their hands touched and he felt the smoother-than-baby's skin of her hand. Ignoring the contact, she rummaged through her satchel bag and seconds later, she was handing a bright blue hand towel to him.

Sasuke accepted the towel as quickly as she'd offered it. "Are you sure it's okay to let me use this?"

"Yes. But don't think of anything weird just because I lent that to you." Her lips were pursed in a most adorable, child-like manner, and she looked surprisingly innocent because of that.

"I'm just thinking how sweet you can be."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. Thanks." Sasuke knew that his voice was perfectly audible and Kasuga had heard him just fine, but he didn't want to say the same thing again and irritate her more.

After she retrieved the umbrella from him, this time without hand contact, he started wiping away the rain from his arms, neck and face, finishing in a matter of seconds. Working on his hair, he rubbed the towel through the thick locks forcefully enough to get Kasuga's attention.

"Your hair seems troublesome."

"Not really." Sasuke continued drying his hair, very much pleased to have Kasuga as his audience. He glanced sideways to return the favor, but she had already turned her eyes away from him. Contented about the work he'd done on his hair, he hung the towel on his shoulder and tried to tame his hair by repeatedly running his hands through it.

After a few more moments of walking, in silence, through wet pavements, Sasuke saw That Bento Is Mine's plain-looking sign overhead as they came to a short stop just in front of the cafe. "So that's why we were taking that route." Sasuke said, but it was more like thinking out loud. "I just ate here."

"I told you I wanted to come here alone." Kasuga said as she went inside the cafe. Sasuke followed her, and although he was full from the recent meal he had there, the pleasant aroma of Japanese food made his mouth water a little.

Kasuga walked over to where Sasuke was seated, convincing herself that it's going to be just fine. Although used to crowds, she was quite nervous of her first day at work. It didn't help that her first table would be the one occupied by Sasuke.

"Here's your order, sir." she said as she set the food-filled tray down the table. Sasuke looked up at her, and she'd swear her cheeks were bright red.

"Kasuga-chan?" The amusement in Sasuke's tone was overly-annoying, like discovering her working in this café was the newest, most interesting thing to him. "When did you start working here?"

She wasn't planning on answering any of his questions at all, since she'd come here with the intention of working, not chatting. "Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"I need your company." His lips were stretched in a playful smirk, and Kasuga felt her temper starting to boil. The smile on her face threatened to turn into a scowl, but she had to keep her composure and maintain her happy-to-serve-you work-attitude – she didn't want to have a bad start at her job just because of Sasuke.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sir. As much as I'd like to keep you company, I still have work to do." Blushing furiously, she retrieved the number placard from the table and left without another word.

Once Kasuga had taken her place behind the steam table, she noticed the cashier positioned on the other end signaling her to come closer. She looked at the entrance first to see if there were any newcomers, then back to the kitchen to make sure there were no orders that needed to be served before she sauntered towards the cashier. She looked at the cashier's name pin, which read _Farin_, before speaking up. "What is it, Farin-san?"

"Kasuga-san, is the guy seated at table six your boyfriend?"

"What?" Kasuga practically felt the blood rush from her neck to her cheeks in a single heartbeat. "No…definitely not, Farin-san. He's just an acquaintance."

"It's just that the two of you looked so close to each other."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"He's a regular here. Right there," – Farin pointed to where Sasuke was – "that's his spot. He always stays at that same table every single time he eats here." She paused for a while, as if to collect her thoughts, before continuing. "Most of the ladies here say he's cute and all, that he probably has a beautiful girlfriend, but so far we've only seen him with his male friends. No female friends at all. So I thought you were the girlfriend."

"I see." The idea of Sasuke being popular with girls didn't surprise her, but given that they'd tell her what's so attractive about him, she wouldn't even want to listen to them, let alone understand their perception of what attractive is. "But really, there's nothing romantic going on between us two."

"Well, he certainly looks interested in you." Before Kasuga could even protest against what Farin was saying, she'd spoken again. "Forgive me for asking you something personal so suddenly, Kasuga-san. I'm just always curious about things here. I hope you do get used to it."

"Oh, it's okay-"

"Kasuga-san! Order's up!" The cook's voice was so loud that Kasuga was tempted to cover her ears. She excused herself from the conversation, took the order and started for table twenty-five. Her eyes first fell on Sasuke, who hadn't even begun eating his meal – he was talking on the phone and looked like he had a bad case of boredom. Shifting her eyes away from him, she saw Nobunaga, Mori, and Mitsuhide occupying another table, the three of them sitting in a silence that was most intriguing. If Mori hadn't begun talking to Nobunaga, you would've thought the trio was the worst of enemies.

She had both caught the student council president and his ever-loyal assistant's eyes on her, but she thought it was natural, since they probably recognized her – and they weren't actually giving her an odd look, so there was nothing to be bothered about. But not Mitsuhide – his eyes weren't only giving her the I-know-you look, but something much more intense than any male gaze she had ever encountered before. He was obviously checking her out – and his stare almost felt tangible, as if it had invisible tendrils that were sending chills down her spine.

She didn't exactly think that her black-and-red-color-scheme uniform was the cause of all the attention he was giving her – the blouse, obi and knee-length pencil skirt were pretty much average-looking, although they were a little tight-fitting, revealing all her feminine curves. It was a God-given gift: her shapely body, and thanks to her ever-since-childhood judo training, she maintained a figure girls, and women alike, praised and envied. However, some men tend to look at her with a different glint in their eyes, and she didn't even want to start thinking about it.

"Kasuga-san, hurry up!" The voice of Farin pulled her from her deep thought and back to the café. She continued towards the trio's table, the zori she wore on her feet silent against the marble floor.

"Here you go, gentlemen." She set down the food on their table, her eyes fixed on no one in particular. "Can I help you with anything else?" This time she looked at Nobunaga, then to Mori, then back to Nobunaga again.

"Everything's fine." Nobunaga stated and Mori immediately nodded in agreement. When Kasuga had turned around to leave though, she heard a scarily low voice that was no doubt Mitsuhide's. "Miss…" Even though she hasn't actually heard him speak, the voice she'd just heard seemed to suit him perfectly. "The slit of your skirt had been dangerously torn all the way up to the upper half of your thighs."

With the way he described the damage on her skirt, Kasuga almost froze in shame. More than that, his voice was loud enough to be heard by the whole café. She didn't think what he just said qualified as offensive, but still, it wasn't something any girl would be happy to hear.

Noticing the eyes of many customers fixed on her skirt, she checked on it. Sure enough, the three-inch slit on the left side had grown by at least seven inches. Face burning red in embarrassment, although she'd managed to keep her composure, she held together the torn portions of her skirt with one hand as subtly as she could and even muttered a genuine thank-you to Mitsuhide before proceeding to the ladies' room.

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**Reviews, anyone? Thanks :D**

**Forgive me for the lame name of the Japanese cafe xD**

**Hmmm…the first part was Sasuke's POV, if you haven't noticed. Sasuke's a real sweet guy, and I really like his character, so I gave him more stage in this chapter. I just hope I did a good job on that.**

**Post Script: Kasuga's work uniform is actually badass (I guess). I even drew it before incorporating it in this chapter. Wanna see? (The drawing's not that good, though) xD**


	5. A New Acquaintance

**I do not own Sengoku Basara – Capcom does (they do, right?)**

**Heya guys! I've been busy with my un-life but here I am now, and I'm glad that I managed to complete another chapter for this fic. **

**Enjoy reading!**

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The shrill sound of the alarm clock woke Kasuga from her sleep. She glanced at the digital clock, then turned the alarm off. It was only 6:00,a pretty early waking time for the weekends, but she had no problem willing her body out of the bed.

She motioned outside her room, yawning as she lingered in the doorway. It was so cold that even the wooden floor felt marble-cold against her bare feet, but she didn't mind searching for her slippers – they were always missing whenever she needed them, anyway.

A soft purr broke the early-morning silence, and Kasuga automatically flipped the nearest light switch on. Just outside the window to her right, she saw a white cat perched on the fence, its beautiful blue-and-green eyes shining in the dark. She'd seen the feline numerous times outside the house and always wanted to keep it as a pet, if only it didn't scurry away every time she approached it.

She walked over to the window and pushed open the glass panes, but as soon as the first blow of wind brushed her skin, the cat was already half walking/half skipping away from sight – the first time she'd seen the cat, she thought it had a funny way of walking, but when she discovered that it was missing one of its hind legs, she almost wanted to hit herself for even thinking of laughing at the poor cat's disability of walking properly.

Tad disappointed, she went to the bathroom. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, her recent wardrobe malfunction filling her thoughts. She wanted that day to be a myth: her first day at work, the mysterious self-ripping skirt, Akechi Mitsuhide's stripping-off-your-clothes stare, and everything in between.

She shook her head deliberately, as if the action could make her line of thought go somewhere else. Now that she thought about it, the past week's incidents filled her mind most of the time. No, make that all the time. It was a wonder she could still concentrate on everything she needed to do.

She took off her pajamas and placed them in a neat stack on the basin – maybe she'll use them again later at night. As much as she wanted to sleep in nothing but her underwear, like she usually does, the unusually cold weather demanded more than just a few yards of cotton and/or lace.

_Maybe it's time to go shopping_, she told herself mentally, and decided she should do the deed as soon as possible. Today seemed as good a day as any – she had nothing planned, no tests to prepare for, not even home works or projects to finish. Besides, it'd been a long time since she'd been to the mall, it was only right to give herself some sort of reward for all the hard work she'd always done.

Blinking sleepiness away, she stepped under the shower, letting the hot water awaken every single cell in her body. She always took her time in bathing, but this time she'd barely been inside the shower cubicle for ten minutes when she finished.

Clad in her running attire composed of a well-worn jacket, a tank top that was revealing a good portion of her chest, and shorts that barely covered her perfectly toned thighs, Kasuga ran through the sport complex's 400-meter running track.

"Five", she thought out loud as she passed by the white number markings on the surface of the track. After finishing her fifth round, she started to realize how much she missed running – she took a break from rigorous training a few months ago to give way to her studies, and she was most grateful for the reduced physical and mental exhaustion on her part. It was like not eating breakfast though – not being able to train at all during the first month of her break. After that first month though, she opted to train at least twice a week because she thought she couldn't function really well without it.

Bypassing a certain group of guys that had just started playing basketball, Kasuga heard several annoying wolf whistles coming from their direction. She easily ignored the guys, letting comments like 'Miss, can I have your name?' or 'Do you want to hang out later?' pass. She had better things to do than start flirting with guys – besides, she already had a few troublesome guys in her life, she wouldn't want another one to contribute to her demise.

Her next few rounds were peaceful – the guys seemed to have accepted defeat and haven't done anything attention-grabbing, other than flaunt their well-muscled torsos. When she passed by the sweaty bunch for the tenth time though, something happened.

"That hurt!" one of the guys complained, looking at the soccer players running about on the field – a soccer ball had just come from nowhere and hit him solid in the head, and from the way one of his hands ran back and forth through the tied portion of his topknot, it looked like he wasn't more hurt than concerned about keeping his hair in its original shape.

Kasuga watched as the ball rolled to a stop beside her feet, then she banana-kicked it towards the direction of the nearby goal. Shortly after, without admiring her handiwork, she continued jogging.

"Hey miss!"

Kasuga didn't turn around – there were lots of girls on sight, and she didn't want to embarrass herself by making that mistake. But the guy was persistent and called out even louder, and she felt the voice approaching still closer until its source was right beside her. She looked at the guy from the corner of her eyes and noticed him grinning like an idiot.

"Do you play soccer? I mean, that was one sweet goal you made there."

"No, I don't."

"But you kicked the ball like a pro, which was really amazing."

"Thank you, but I really don't play."

"Then I guess you do tae kwon do?"

"Not either."

"I guess I'll have to keep guessing until you look at me, then."

"Go ahead." Kasuga broke into a run, not because she wanted to escape from a conversation, but because she felt a sudden surge of energy that needed to be burned up. She didn't care that the guy was now several feet behind her – she didn't think socializing was really necessary at the moment.

"Wait up, miss!" The guy sped up his pace and soon enough, probably a hundred meters later, he was right beside Kasuga, who had fallen into a slower pace again.

Although breathing heavily, the guy did a good job of keeping up with Kasuga's pace. "Don't tell me you're not a runner?"

"Not."

"Really? You're very athletic, huh?"

"Not really."

"You remind me of my friend."

"I'm sorry but–"

"I mean, you're beautiful and pretty good at sports too, just like him."

"Him?" Kasuga's brows slightly furrowed, puzzled about the beautiful part of what the guy just said.

"Yes. He's only into iaijutsu, though. His speed, however, remains unparalleled by any other athlete I know of. The guy's an up-close-and-personal lightning."

"Is that so? Then he must be very dedicated to his training."

"Yeah. No one beats Kenshin in sword-handling…and girls."

Kasuga, upon hearing Kenshin's name, suddenly stopped and nearly bumped into a guy who was chasing a soccer ball. She muttered her apology to the guy, and with the weird way he looked at her, she knew that her face was flushed bright red and he must have mistaken the reaction for something else.

"Miss!" the ponytail guy called out as he doubled back towards Kasuga, who tried her best to look unflustered despite the obvious flush on her cheeks. "Are you okay? Do you maybe need to take a break?"

"Uh, no. I just…I think I know someone with the same name."

"You mean Kenshin?"

Hearing the name again, Kasuga averted her eyes away from the guy in front of her as if to prevent the blood rush from further coloring her whole face red. She then looked at her watch just for the purpose of doing something other than blushing in front of a complete stranger.

"Your face is all red. Are you sure everything's okay?"

"I'm sure." Checking her watch again, Kasuga noticed that it was almost 9 o'clock. She remembered her plans of shopping and going to the salon, and knew she had to go home now and prepare if she still wanted to get that discount on her monthly hair treatment.

"Have to go somewhere?"

"Yes – and I can't afford to be late."

"Oh, before you go - I know it's really rude of me to do this only now," The ponytail guy extended one of his large hands towards Kasuga's direction. "Keiji. Maeda Keiji."

Kasuga stared at Keiji's hand for a few second, somewhat dumbfounded, then shook it and mentioned her name as well. It was an odd feeling, but somehow, she felt sort of glad about this new acquaintance of hers. It's not that she liked him, but it's not that she hated him either, even though he was a bit pushy. Maybe it's because of the possibility of his friend Kenshin being the same Kenshin she had an ultimate crush on.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, Kasuga-chan. It was nice meeting you." Keiji waved goodbye with a stupidly sweet smile on his face, then jogged back to his basketball buddies.

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**Reviews, anyone? Thanks :D**

**BTW, I was also wondering if you have some cookies for me? 'Cause I'm really hungry xD**


	6. Expect the Unexpected

**I do not own Sengoku Basara – Capcom does (they do, right?)**

**Here's an update. Enjoy reading.**

**P.S. Math professors are RAD :D  
**

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"Class, I've finished checking your papers and I'm glad to tell all of you that majority passed the test."

Joyful shouting filled the classroom instantly, but Kasuga merely rolled her eyes. She was not being pessimistic, but she felt that she and Sasuke were probably going to end up with a long tutorial session in the library again. The professor continued speaking, and he had to raise his voice to a shout to be heard above the noise.

"It's surprising, though, that Kasuga-san didn't get the highest score. Nevertheless, her score belongs to the five highest in this class."

This time, whispers and murmurs followed. Kasuga ignored the noise and remained straight-faced, her eyes intent on the math professor. She hadn't always liked the professor, what with his inapproachability and frequent mood swings, but now she probably won't even reconsider trying to see the brighter side of him.

"A 'he' was able to ace the exam."

Again, more whispering and murmuring was heard, and the professor had to yell 'quiet' and hit the table twice with his marker to shush the students. Kasuga didn't feel bad about not topping the test, but she was surprised that someone got a perfect score for a test that was fairly difficult.

"Enough of this. I'm going to return your papers according to the scores. The student with the highest score gets called last, so the student with the lowest score gets called first."

There was a simultaneous 'awww' from the class, and the students' reactions ranged from none to irritated to angry. The professor then started calling names, the expression on his face showing that he was enjoying what he was doing. Kasuga scowled slightly - she thought it wasn't fair, that the ones with the lowest scores be called first, because it wasn't very much different from humiliating them.

After a minute or so, more than half of the class had their papers returned, and Kasuga noticed that Sasuke still hasn't had his name called – that meant he had a higher score than the others. She felt happy, and a little proud too, that her hard work and his cooperation resulted in something good. She was thinking about congratulating him for his achievement when she heard her name being called.

She made her way towards the professor, took the stapled papers from his hand and returned to her seat, feeling oddly unsatisfied about the 90/100, which was written in red ink, on the upper right corner of the first paper. She skimmed through the rest of the papers and noticed missing signs, different final answers, and other mistakes due to carelessness.

"Sarutobi."

Immediately, Sasuke stood from his slouched sitting position and made his way towards the professor's table to get his paper. He didn't look happy or anything, just pokerfaced like he didn't care about getting a good mark on his test. However, when he'd received his paper and turned to head off to his seat, he made a thumbs-up sign with his good hand and even winked at Kasuga. She dismissed his gesture with a little scowl on her face, just a little disappointed that he was able to get a higher score than her.

"Sarutobi, congratulations on getting a perfect score."

"So, are we going to celebrate or anything?" Sasuke asked casually as he placed the food-filled tray down the table. His drink nearly spilled, but he was quick enough to pick up the glass and prevent its contents from staining the sun dress Kasuga was wearing. She stared at him as she sipped on her milk-chocolate drink, oblivious to the near-spilling of his beverage.

"Of course we are celebrating! You are going to treat us to dinner in a fancy restaurant. Afterwards, we'll go to the arcade, play some games. It will be fun – me, you, Takeda-san, and Kasuga-san!"

Sasuke wanted to stuff food into Yukimura's mouth – he was speaking so loud that a great number of people in the canteen have already taken notice of him. To keep him from embarrassing them anymore than he already had, Sasuke agreed without batting an eyelash and Yukimura's immediate reaction was a close-to-rejoicing gesture.

Kasuga looked at Yukimura first, then at Sasuke, then back at Yukimura again. She didn't know if she should be amazed by Yukimura's enthusiasm or impressed by Sasuke's poise. But, she was certain that she could no longer ignore the layers of medical tape on Sasuke's right hand. "What happened to your hand?"

"Just a sprain from yesterday's training."

"You're not carrying a grudge against me, right Sasuke?" Yukimura asked with incredibly manipulative puppy eyes.

"'Course not, it's nothing serious."

"You should've asked for help with your tray." Kasuga said when she really wanted to ask him if he was alright.

"I could handle it." He looked at Kasuga, who was staring back at him with something he couldn't place. "Why don't we just start eating already? We'll talk about celebrating later."

And so, they ate. In silence. It was awkward, especially for Kasuga – she hadn't even congratulated Sasuke for acing the test, and now she was all worried about his sprain but wouldn't even admit it to herself. She obviously wasn't thinking clearly.

Yukimura noticed that the three of them were being too quiet and decided to break the ice by talking about his and Sasuke's randori yesterday – a three minute play with so much tension, as Yukimura described it, Kasuga could almost imagine herself watching them sparring. And then, after a while of resisting and countering throws and sweeps, she found herself thinking about her mark on the math exam again. She'd probably need a few hours of good training later to release all the negative energy inside her.

Noticing Kasuga just staring at her food for a while already, Sasuke felt the need to ask her what was bothering her. "Why are you so quiet, Kasuga-chan?"

"I don't like to talk while eating."

"Wow. You are so proper and lady-like, Kasuga-san. You'll make a good girlfriend for Sasuke here."

Kasuga frowned a little – Yukimura had just said something that obviously irritated every single nerve ending of her body. She looked at Sasuke, who merely smirked at what he heard – he was struggling with the spoon on his left hand and a little red in the ears. She shifted her eyes to his bad hand, and suddenly, an idea that hardly seemed like her own came to her mind.

_Help him eat? Did I just think of doing that stupid thing?_ Why did Sasuke have to have such bad luck and get an injury on his right hand? If his left hand had been injured instead, he wouldn't look as helpless as he was right now. Not that an injury to his left hand would be better though – it would just be a lot easier on his part.

"Would you like me to help you? You're not looking very well with that spoon."

"I'm good."

"You're obviously having difficulty moving that left hand of yours."

"Nothing I can do if you really want to feed me."

Kasuga stared at him for a few seconds first, blood rushing to her neck and face, then snatched the spoon from his left hand. She turned in her seat to face Yukimura, then asked "Yukimura-kun, won't you help Sasuke eat?" offering the spoon to him with a smile that can weaken any man to his knees.

Fortunately for Sasuke, Yukimura was strong enough to resist Kasuga's charm. "I am sorry, Kasuga-san, but I'd have to turn down your offer. I think Sasuke would be a lot happier if you were to help him eat instead."

"Exactly. Thanks, Yuki." Sasuke looked at Kasuga and admired her red face, smirking as slyly as he can just to tease her. He knew, that even though she was a little cold at times, she was definitely kind-hearted and wouldn't be able to turn someone as darling as Yukimura down.

"I'm only going to do this so that I won't have to bear seeing you struggle with your spoon."

"That's a pretty artful way of saying that you care for me."

"Shut up!" Kasuga readied the spoon in her hands as if to hit him the moment he speaks. "Or would you rather not eat?"

"Sasuke might be starving already, Kasuga-san. He didn't eat his breakfast a while ago because we were going to be late for first class if he did."

With Yukimura's words tugging on her conscience, Kasuga filled the spoon with Sasuke's food then brought it up to his mouth without looking him in the eyes. It was embarrassing, she knew that fully well and the blush on her cheeks proved it, but it was sort of comforting to have a friendlier episode with the guy in front of her.

Seconds and minutes dragged on, and Kasuga wanted to thank the world for making Sasuke so cooperative. Yukimura, on the other hand, had done nothing but watch the two lovebirds and root for their relationship, Kasuga almost shouted 'shut up' at him but in the end, she didn't have the heart to do so.

"Kasuga-chan!"

Kasuga almost dropped the spoon in her surprise, but she knew better than embarrass herself more than she already was. She placed the spoon down on the styrofoam box in front of her with shaky hands and looked over to where the voice was coming from.

It was Keiji. And Kenshin. They were waiting in line in front of the steam table, and Keiji was waving at her like crazy. Kenshin was, as usual, wearing a faint smile on his lips and looked dazzling even in such a plain outfit. She subtly tucked her side locks under her ears, and it was the best grooming she could afford with Sasuke seated in front of her.

"You're all red, babe."

"Babe? Don't call me like that, you jerk!"

"It's Kenshin-kun, right?"

"It's not!"

"Then let's continue eating, it's almost time for your next class."

Kasuga looked over to Keiji and Kenshin again, but they have already ordered lunch and it looks like they were headed for the only empty table in sight, which was beside the one she, Sasuke and Yukimura were occupying. She then looked at her watch, and found out that she had only five more minutes to endure dealing with Sasuke. "Fine."

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**Reviews, anyone? Thanks :D**


	7. Laboratory Blues

**I do not own Sengoku Basara – Capcom does (they do, right?)**

**I only wrote this during math class (which was just a 1.5 hour period) so pardon me for any quirks. **

**Have fun reading :D  
**

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"Chemistry is such a pain, don't you think, Kojuro?" Masamune stated, his gruff voice sounding even gruffer because of boredom.

"Masamune-san, I don't think it's that bad. Chemistry has lots of practical uses in our life." Kojuro lifted an Erlenmeyer flask to eye level, observing the black liquid contained in it. "Besides, busying yourself with experiments like these is better than doing nothing.

"Sometimes, I really don't get you, Kojuro." Masamune muttered, staring amusedly, and quite confusedly too, at his friend with his un-patched eye. "What's that black liquid, anyways?"

"It's carbon – dissolved in water." Kasuga answered, seemingly appearing from nowhere. She took a seat in the unoccupied stool beside Kojuro and gathered a pile of paper into her hands.

"Yeah. What does that have to do with our everyday life?"

"Masamune-san." Kojuro set the flask down on the marble-top laboratory table, wrote something on a table-infested sheet of paper, then turned to Masamune. "Could you help me clean the equipment? Kasuga-san had already done so much, I don't want to disturb her any further."

"It's fine, I can help." Kasuga peeled her eyes away from the calculations she was doing to look up at Kojuro, a blank expression plastered on her beautiful face.

"No, Masamune-san here had wasted so much time sitting, I think it's time for him to do something."

"I was only asking Kasuga about Yukimura."

"The vice president of the judo club?"

"Yeah. He and his team are always on the school paper. We, on the other hand, don't get much credit for all the glory we give this damn school."

"Now is not the time to talk about things like that, Masamune-san. I think it's better for you to concentrate on laboratory class for now." Kojuro walked over to the sink, turned on the faucet and started washing the glass equipment, not minding that Masamune was just standing on the side with a serious expression on his face.

"Do you think they are better than us?" Masamune asked, looking Kojuro with eyes that seem to have seen everything there was to see.

"No one is better. The judo club and the kendo club have different strengths and weaknesses, so it's really difficult to tell which one is better. Besides, I don't think it really matters, as long as we are doing our best to give pride to the school."

"Wanna go train later? I have three hours to waste before my next class."

"I'm afraid I can't, Masamune-san. I have to be home early – me and my family are going to celebrate father's birthday today."

"No use asking you again, is there? Celebrations like these are much too important to miss."

"I'm glad you understand. Do not worry, Masamune-san, I'll double my training tomorrow."

"It's cool, you don't need to do that. Just enjoy the party later, Kojuro."

"Do you guys need help? I'm done with the computations." Kasuga asked nonchalantly while she made her way to where the two guys were.

"No, we're almost…" Kojuro started – however, he was interrupted midway by Masamune, who instantly agreed to the offer. "Thanks, Kasuga-san." He then sauntered to a nearby seat and slumped to a not-so-comfortable sitting/sleeping position.

The minutes seemed to drag on even with the activity and noise inside the room. The over-enthusiastic chattering of a group of students, the angelic voices of the girls singing in a corner, the crazy laughter of the boys, and the silence of the quiet ones seemed to melt into a big, tangible mass of nonsensical sound.

Just as Masamune began to feel a nap coming on though, a faint, lengthy groan of pain, followed by a muted thud, which came from above the ceiling, seemed to have overridden the current noise in the room. After a few seconds of confused looks from the students' faces, the place was filled with noise and activity again.

"What the hell was that?" Masamune exclaimed in a hushed voice, obviously very irritated for being disturbed from his not-so-relaxing nap. He then remembered that the dojo of the judo club was situated on the rooftop, which was above the floor where they were in, so the guys must be training.

"The club definitely needs thicker mats." Kasuga deadpanned, scanning the experiment report for grammatical and numerical errors.

"Damn straight. And that guy needs to learn to be a little less loud-mouthed." Masamune said plainly, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

"It's probably your guy, Yukimura."

"Loudest guy on earth."

"He's a little loud, I agree. But that energy's really admirable – I mean, it doesn't look like a whole day of training will wear him out."

"Gotta admire him for that, huh?"

"Not for you, I guess. You have some serious rivalry issues with him, right?"

"He's too talkative and naïve, it's irritating."

A long silence occurred before Kasuga had something to say. "I think Sasuke feels the same way."

"Huh? The brunette guy with the wild hair?"

"Yeah, when he's with me…" Kasuga stopped, realizing that she'd just mentioned Sasuke in a conversation that didn't concern him. "Never mind."

"Speak of the devil…" Masamune said, jerking his head towards the hallway, which can be seen through the glass windows situated at Kasuga's back. Turning in her seat hesitantly, she saw Sasuke – and from the slight raise of one of his eyebrows, it was obvious that he was just passing by the laboratory and he wouldn't have noticed her if she hadn't turned in her seat and shown her face.

Kasuga sighed exasperatedly as she turned in her seat again, annoyance painting her cheeks red. Why did Sasuke always have to appear at the wrong time and in the wrong place?

"Is he waiting for you?"

Kasuga looked through her shoulders and saw Sasuke leaning against the wall of the laboratory room on the other side, his good hand shoved deep into his pockets and his eyes on the ground.

"I don't know." Kasuga willed herself out of the stool she was seated in, then sauntered out to the hallway. It was a good thing the professor was nowhere to be seen, so there was no problem going out of the room. Once outside, she proceeded left, even though the comfort room – her original destination – was to the right. She didn't want to have anything to do with Sasuke at the moment, so she figured going down to the third floor, walking to the stairwell near the north building, then going up again wouldn't hurt.

Although she'd been successful at going to the comfort room without being followed by Sasuke (not that he had a hobby of following her where she went), finding out that he was still there after a few minutes was a different thing altogether. "Why are you still here, Sasuke?"

"I was waiting for you. I'm supposed to walk you home, remember?"

"Don't you have any classes?"

"I thought I'd ditch class after I saw you here."

"And what class did you cut?"

"Physics."

"And whoever told you that you were _supposed _to walk me home?"

"The tutor agreed to do what the tutee wanted if he gets a higher mark in the math test, remember?" Kasuga fully remembered their agreement, and now she was having bitter feelings about her performance in the exam.

"Oh, so this is about me getting a lower score?"

"No. I just want to spend a little more time with you, that's all."

"You're impossible, Sasuke. Go back to your class!"

"I'm not going back to that class. Besides, Yuki'd bring my stuff up to the dojo so there's nothing to worry about."

"And what if you get caught for cutting classes and punished greatly for it? I'm not your guardian Sasuke, so I don't want to have to worry over things like that."

"Whoa. Don't sweat it, babe. I am not cutting classes if I knew I'd be punished for it."

"Stop calling me like that, it's revolting!"

"I'm sorry." Sasuke made an 'I-surrender' gesture by raising his two hands in the air. "I guess I'll head back to class."

Kasuga breathed deeply, then declared "No. It's okay, you could walk me home." She tucked her right side locks under her ear, a gesture she developed from her previous accidental meetings with Kenshin.

"Do you always blush that much?"

"What? It's because of the make-up, you dummy."

"Oh."

Kasuga waited, and waited – but Sasuke didn't seem to mind her lame excuse for the furious blushing of her face. It was possible, too, that he didn't notice the complete absence of make-up on her face.

"That aside, you should go back to class."

"Catch you later." Sasuke said, then winked at Kasuga. It didn't seem to suit him though, because of his injured right arm.

She didn't want to speak anymore, so she made a sound that was supposed to mean that she was agreeing, complete with a nod of the head. She didn't like his new hobby of winking at her, but the playful gesture comforts her in some unidentifiable way. Dismissing the weird idea, she walked back into the room and was greeted by a rather annoying question.

"He's your lover boy, huh?"

"No he's not!" Kasuga instantly cried out, hoping she wasn't as red as she felt she was. It was a good thing she managed to keep her voice down to a minimum – she didn't want to catch attention with her unwanted outbursts.

"Girls are never good with lies." Masamune's voice was barely audible, but Kasuga was still able to hear it.

"And you guys always manage to get away with it."

"Yeah."

Both of them sat in silence – Masamune with his face cupped on one hand and Kasuga with a blank gaze out at the hallway. A little while later Kojuro disturbed their silence and their professor arrived from wherever he went to.

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**Reviews, anyone? Thanks :D**


	8. Pool of Pools

**After weeks of dormancy, here's another chapter for you boys and girls :D**

**********Read on, have fun.**

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"Today, boys and girls, we're going to have a 100 free swim race. Who wants to go first?"

Hands were thrown into the air like flags were waved on Independence Day. Of course, not everybody was going to get the chance. The instructor, Maeda Matsu, selected students at random, but intentionally chose Kasuga because of her fondness towards the natural athlete.

Just a few meters away from the pool, Yukimura emerged from inside the men's room. Sasuke followed after a few moments.

"Isn't that Kasuga-san, Sasuke?" Yukimura pointed at Kasuga, who was doing some stretches at the edge of the pool.

"That's my girl."

"That has to mean that she's already your girlfriend, right?"

"No." Sasuke smirked, admiring Kasuga's curves which were clearly defined through the standard blue bathing suit she wore. "But we're getting there."

"Then why is it that she's not so nice to you as she is to me?"

"Kasuga's just a little embarrassed to open up to me."

"I don't understand women at all!" Yukimura softly said with a scratch of the head.

Just then, a girl bypassed the two of them and gave Yukimura a confused look after hearing what he said. At the same time, Matsu Maeda blew her whistle and the participants of the race dove into the water.

"I apologize, miss. It's not what you think it is." Yukimura said repeatedly, bowing in between words.

The girl dismissed the apology by waving one hand vaguely, then said "It's fine." After that, she scampered away like a little kid.

"Thank you very much, miss." Yukimura called out, still bowing fervently.

"See. Girls are such complicated creatures." _Beautiful too_, he murmured as Kasuga emerged from the pool, her body glistening from the water like a fine gem.

"What's wrong, Kasuga-san? You're last." Matsu asked with obvious concern.

"I'm fine, Matsu-sensei-san. No need to worry."

"But you're always first, sometimes second – but not last. Are you sure you're alright? Have you been staying up late?"

Now that she thought about it, she had been sleeping later than ever. She probably thought too much. Whenever she's eating, taking a shower, or sitting at class there are thoughts that are bound to leave her oblivious to the outside world. What's worse is during the night, the thought-meter reaches maximum level and leaves her lying awake in bed for, often, more than half an hour. Sometimes one or two hours. During that span of time, she'd think about Sasuke more than she thinks about Kenshin. And that's what leaves her restless more than anything.

"Matsu." Toshiie Maeda, head of the athletics department, called out, his finely pressed suit a stark contrast against his sun-kissed skin. He proceeded to hug Matsu, then placed a gentle kiss on her lips afterwards. Matsu started blushing like a high school girl, then asked him the type of questions mothers would ask their children.

Kasuga looked at the couple dreamily – wishing she too, was that lovey-dovey with the man she loved. "Ah, Matsu-sensei, please excuse me." Kasuga could watch the two of them all day, but somehow it made her sad – seeing lovers who were that sweet it made her envious. She jogged her way to the hallway leading to the comfort rooms. However, upon seeing Sasuke and Yukimura chatting outside the men's room, she started to double back but was not successful in doing so.

"Kasuga-chan!"

"What is it, Sasuke-" Kasuga bumped square into Sasuke's chest, and she jumped back immediately like a spring. "Would you stop bumping into me every time we meet?"

"I'm sorry, Yukimura tripped and bumped into me."

"What?" Kasuga raised one of her eyebrows and studied Sasuke's expression. She thought his alibi was a little lame because she saw nothing in sight that a person could possibly trip over.

"On that little step." Sasuke pointed to the small step under Yukimura's foot. Kasuga then noticed that Yukimura was patting his butt, so he must've really tripped,, like what Sasuke said.

"I'm so sorry, Kasuga-san. I was clumsy."

"No, it's fine. I totally understand." Kasuga even smiled, to convince the two guys that she was alright.

"That's good then. Ah, Kasuga-san, is it true that you and Sas-"

Sasuke threw one arm heavily around Yukimura's shoulders, cutting him off. "Yuki, the club meeting's gonna start in ten minutes. Wanna head to the dojo now?" He turned both of them away from Kasuga, then looked over his shoulder and winked at her.

Kasuga furrowed a brow in slight confusion – was Yukimura about to ask something about her and Sasuke's relationship? Did he think there was something going on in between them? No. She had to explain to him what her and Sasuke's true relationship are – not lovers-to-be and definitely not dating. Shaking her head, she proceeded to the girls' room and left after a few moments – but not without staring straight into Kenshin's blue eyes and blushing heavily.

The two of them had exited the comfort rooms at the same time, and Kasuga had almost melted when Kenshin just stood there and smiled gently at her. Nervous and feeling a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach, she stood planted in her place, like Kenshin's gaze held some sort of magic that prevented her from moving or turning away.

"We meet again, Kasuga."

The sound of her name being said without any honorific after it sounded good, and it sounded all the more pleasant with Kenshin's deep, although a little feminine-sounding, voice.

"Ah, Kenshin-san. Excuse me, I have to go, Matsu-sensei's probably looking for me now." Kasuga was surprised at how fast the words left her mouth. She started to walk away when he spoke. "You're beautiful, as always." he said, his voice sounding cold but sweet at the same time.

Kasuga turned to thank him, the heat in her cheeks seemingly getting stronger. "Thank you, Kenshin-san." She smiled faintly at him, who had now fallen in step beside her, and felt weird at the expression. She rarely smiled, and if she ever did, just like now, it wouldn't be a toothy, happy smile.

"I'll see you around." Kenshin declared, his heady perfume – along with his words – wafting towards Kasuga in a pace that was slow and fast at the same time. She stared at his back wistfully, then walked back to the pool area.

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**Random blabber about this chapter: I mentioned somewhere that Kasuga's a natural athlete. I mean, with her seriousness and focus towards the things she does - she's an athlete through and through. Also, does anyone else think that this chapter was a bit confusing? The portion about Kasuga ****lying awake at night thinking of Sasuke more than she does about Kenshin, then suddenly getting all flustered when she sees Kenshin.** To me, it seems a little confusing, even after I'd gone through the whole thing and rewritten some stuff. But I guess Kasuga is weird in that way. And that staring-at-your-back part in the end, does anyone do that? Me, I do that all the time. Not in a wistful sort of manner, though. I don't know, I have a thing for men's backs. Is there such a thing as a back fetish? xD  


**R&R greatly appreciated :D**


	9. An Accident! Or Not?

**Hai gaiz. Staying up until 3AM is so not cool (it was before, but not anymore) :(**

**Here's an update. And oh, Remepie-chan gets mentioned because he/she recently told me how much he/she loves my Sasuga fics. I'm sorry I couldn't include Oichi in here though, since this one's already finished when I found it a while ago.**

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_What am I doing here? _Kasuga asked herself mentally, looking around her surroundings – the interior of an internet café which was popular among the (mostly male) students of the academy. So far, all that she could see wherever her eyes roamed about are the concentration-bent faces of the students, their hands typing at the keyboard and clicking away at the mouse with inhuman speed. Senseless chatter, curses and many other foul remarks filled the air, and there were no two seconds when the place was completely silent.

However, Kasuga lay silent at Sasuke's side, watching as he, too, put on his game face and started playing a game she didn't bother knowing the name of. Raising her voice a little, she spoke. "Sasuke, I have to go. There's something-"

"Aw. You can't be leaving me here now, babe. You agreed on going here."

"Don't 'babe' me. And, I didn't even agree on going here, you dragged me here!" Kasuga had leaned a little closer to Sasuke, speaking, almost shouting, directly next to his ear.

"How about-"

The next thing Sasuke knew, his lips were touching Kasuga's softer ones. His eyes grew big in surprise, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he gripped Kasuga by the shoulders and started kissing her gently. Celebrating voices, clapping, and playful whistling followed. In all her embarrassment, Kasuga pushed Sasuke violently, as if in disgust, and slapped him – hard.

Except for the whole ensemble of sounds that blasted from the speakers of the rows after rows after rows of computers, the whole place seemed to have been robbed of oxygen and everybody had to hold their breaths. Kasuga was sure she'd hit Sasuke so hard that the sound reverberated all throughout the room.

Kasuga touched her lips, the heat that had crept to her face feeling even more intense. She knew it was an accident, a wrong move, but even so, she couldn't accept the fact that she had lost her first kiss to someone like Sasuke.

As quickly as the room had fallen silent, it had returned to its originally noisy atmosphere. The audience probably thought the moment had lost its magic after Kasuga's untimely shove.

But Kasuga didn't walk out of the place – she remained seated next to Sasuke, her head bowed down, her hands placed on her flushed cheeks. She wanted to melt in embarrassment, but instead she felt her insides melting from the kiss Sasuke had just…what, forced on her?

She didn't notice that Sasuke had stopped playing and was now staring at her. "Kasuga-chan, I'm so sorry. Let's get out of here, we need to talk."

Letting rationality take over, she agreed wordlessly.

Sasuke talked to the man in charge of the place and handed over his school ID. He and Kasuga then exited through a back door only known to regular customers like him.

"What exactly were you trying to pull off, Sasuke?" Kasuga asked after Sasuke had closed the door. Her voice was so loud, it seemed to bounce through the walls of the unfamiliar, somewhat disturbing, back alley they were in.

"You know it was an accident." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. Kasuga hated the gesture – it made her feel like she was the only one responsible for what just happened when they knew that they were guilty to some degree.

"How could you take my first kiss like–" Kasuga covered her mouth with a cold hand, turned her head sideways, then paced away from Sasuke. She stopped beside a filthy trash bin, ignoring the horrid array of odors coming from it.

"Your first?" Sasuke's eyes widened in genuine surprise. He smiled a tiny smile, then headed towards Kasuga's direction.

Before he could even get to arm's length with her though, she turned around and shouted at him. "I hate you, Sarutobi Sasuke!" It was a declaration of war against Sasuke, not just the spur of the moment type of hate. Kasuga was so angry, her pupils seemed abnormally dilated. She was on her toes, ready to flee the highly awkward scene when a deep, sultry voice greeted them from the direction of the back door.

"I'm so sorry, did I disturb your little lover's quarrel?"

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**Thumbs up if you know who the character in the end is.**

**R&R highly appreciated :)**


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